Edgewood Farm Organics CSA
6/1/15 Newsletter
Hello CSA comrades!
Thank you for the your positive support, as a beginning farmer I could not be more grateful. This adventure ride on the road of seasonal eating will be a satisfying one, that’s for sure!
The beginning of the season has gone by fast and furiously, with no seed left behind. This will be the second year of production in the scenic two acre vegetable garden and WOW it has been progressing smoother than last year. This boost in success has to do with the fact that this year the ground is not a tundra like it was last spring, which allowed us to get in the field in a timely manner. The other driving force adding to this positive motion is my awesome, full –time garden assistant, Emily Kauffman. She is my “partner in crime” this year and her energy and insight are essential everyday!
What have the “crazy farm girls” been up to you might be wondering? Well it certainly has been a whirlwind of events and that’s surely not going to change until Christmas perhaps. There’s been a lot of field prep work; tilling, forming “beds” for the plants, laying plastic mulch, hooking up drip irrigation, and fencing around the field to keep the wildlife buddies out of the potential garden buffet. Outside of the field we have been diligently seeding new crops every week in the greenhouse in order to ensure a continuous supply of seasonal vegetables for you!
The very first crops seeded this year in the greenhouse were the onions and leeks…..and that happened in February. They are now living a happy life in the 2 acre garden with some of their other friends. The potato rows are all popping up nicely, the garlic that was planted last fall is healthy, and the peas are also coming up slowly but surely. Also in the field we have transplanted all of our Spring Greens and Brassicas, which include Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Swiss Chard! Oh yeah and Fennel was transplanted out there too. The plants are all doing really well and handled the massive amounts of rain that we have experienced this spring. We had 3 inches in 2 days plus many other “soakers” so it’s been a wild ride trying to figure out how to manage our work schedule in accordance with Mother Nature’s plans. In addition to the transplanting, we have been directly seeding crops into the field as well, with the tried and true Allis Chalmers G tractor. (Surf the internet for information about this tractor, it is so cool, just don’t do it while you are at work, wink- wink)! We directly seeded beets, radishes, beans, salad mix and spinach and will seed much more after the field dries out this coming week.
Our Pride and Joy
Our pride and joy outside of the vegetable garden can be found within the small but effective greenhouse that we are so thankful to have. The greenhouse makes it possible to start all of our plants from seed and nurture them until they are “of age” for the field. It is a 12 foot by 22 foot structure with a shelving system that allows us to fit a lot of plant trays in there, although we are pushing that capacity at the moment. The greenhouse is bursting right now with tomatoes, peppers, herbs, summer squash, and cucumbers. We have recently been starting the seeds for melons and more cucumbers, and having a little trouble with the watermelon but we won’t give up! Next week we will tuck the first round of cucumbers and summer squash into their bed in the field as well as an assortment of herbs. The temperatures should become steady soon and that will be helpful for the warm weather crops as they are exposed to their life outside, beyond the safety net of the greenhouse.
Funny Bonus News: Jokes on me!
April 1st I brought home 8 goats, 4 yearlings and four kids. Turns out I bought a pregnant goat which is a rookie move but I wouldn’t have it any other way because we were gifted with lil’ Mae Day. I’m sure you can guess when she was born, so now it’s a total of nine goats. An even ten sounded more appealing so I’m picking up lil’ Orphan Maggie, a 2 month old goat that desperately needed a home. Long story short, keep your eye out for goat milk products throughout the season as we experiment with all of the milk that we are overwhelmed with. Baaaaaah!
What have the little Russion helpers been up to you might also be wondering?!
Well Timmy has been singing “little baby kale and chard” songs as we transplant them into the field. Joe has been busy tucking the transplants into their “field beds.” He is a natural at it, although he longs for more time “up on them’ horses”….aka…the tractor.
That’s the news on the farm front! I know the suspense must be building daily….what will be in our first CSA box? Well comrades, thank you for your patience and all I can say is, “get keen for your greens!”
In the Spring the crops that crave cooler weather and lots of moisture grow happily, so working together with our companion, Mother Nature, this is what we are striving to have for you on June 16th:
Kale
Swiss Chard or Spinach
Peas
Radishes
Green Onions
Specialty Salad Mix or Head Lettuce
Rhubarb
Spring Herb
My mouth is watering just thinking about the fresh delight that is oh-so-close to being ready! We are picking out our favorite recipes that will help guide you towards a LOVE for greens. We will be having a work day at the end of June and will let you know by Friday May 29th, the dates that we choose. It is strongly encouraged that you attend these days, not because we really need more labor but truly because we want to get to know the inaugural CSA members. We want to share the farm, our happy place, with you! Until next time, keep on growing comrades!
"Grow, inspire, repeat."
with kindness,
Edgewood Farm Organics CSA Crew